Gandr hastily took the glowing mirror from the Empress. His heart raced as held it firmly in both hands. He was very confused when Renat's face appeared in the glass. Based on he lighting, he had sent the message in the evening or the early morning before the sun had risen.

Renat's voice was strained. "I have good and bad news. We made it out safely. Lady Bukuri is with us. However an assassin also escaped and he is heading straight for Emperor Devrim and Princess Mairwen. We are going after him. That means that it may be difficult to come and get Lady Bukuri just now. She is coming with us."

The mirror's image shifted as Bukuri came into view. "My son, I am free. Do not worry. I will see you soon." The mirror faded as the message ended.

"Well, that was…unexpected," Zan commented, unsure what else to say after hearing the message. He wondered what had gone wrong for that to be the result of their escape. He hadn't mentioned anything happening to Nurlan or the centaur, so he could only assume that they were safe as well.

Aurora seemed deep in thought at the news, and Gandr's eyes brimming with tears.

"Did you hear that?" He choked as he spoke.

Pulled from her own thoughts, Aurora guided her unicorn closer to the gnome's and reached out to touch his arm. "I am sorry for the delay. I know it is not ideal…"

Gandr shook his head, tears now falling from his cheeks in earnest. "Not that. She called me 'son.' I have a mother, Your Majesty, and she called me hers."

Not once had Gandr ever been affectionately called son. Yet, the deep longing had always been there to belong. Just hearing it once erased years of self-doubt and hurt. He belonged to someone.

"Oh Gandr!" Aurora was filled with compassion. The halfling pulled his unicorn away and rubbed his watery nose along the length of his arm with a sniff.

"Pesky emotions! Don't you go getting soft too. I can feel your inner blubbering, you know." Gandr wiped his eyes with a cloth offered by Zan.

"Sorry," Aurora chuckled softly. "I will try not to be so happy for you." She looked away and her smile faded.

Gandr could feel more mixed in with her emotions. There was a pain and fear that Renat's message had brought. The halfling closed his eyes and confirmed his suspicions before he spoke. "Do not worry, Your Majesty. I can sense Emperor Devrim and General Junayd too. If they are alive, then the Princess must be also."

Gandr could always sense these three humans ever since he had used magic on them so many years. With practice he could nearly tune them out, but they were always in the back of his consciousness. It was a blessing and a curse. Just now he could see the blessing.

Aurora touched her heart, which had been beating erratically with concern. Slowly, it steadied. "Thank you. There is no way my husband would have let Mairwen come to harm without giving his own life first. I am sure all is well."

"Very true," Zan agreed. He raised one eyebrow at the gnome. "Well? Are you going to answer the message? Your dear mama is waiting to hear back from you." The Guardian winked.

Gandr's mouth dropped open. He has been so looking forward to hearing from his mother that the thought of responding had not occurred to him. "What will I say?" He asked nervously. The mirror in his hand began to make his fingers tingle. So much pressure!

"Say anything!" Aurora answered easily. "I can say without a doubt that she will just be happy to hear your voice." The woman nodded as her dark hair blew in the breeze. Gandr nodded. Aurora was the only other mother he knew well. Surely she must know what mothers think. He began muttering possible messages to himself to see how they sounded.

While the halfling practiced, Zan held out his hand to the Empress. "While Gandr is picking out the perfect words, I do not suppose I could have that spyglass, Your Majesty?"

Aurora tensed. In her excitement at the mirror lighting, she almost forgot that she had opened the bag to get the item for Zan. She fished around in the bag, retrieved the item, and handed it to the Guardian.

He peered through the glass and scanned the landscape. There were many trees, one of the many wide rivers and a large, heart-shaped boulder. Spotting the rock, he smiled with satisfaction. "There!" he exclaimed as he pointed toward the next landmark.

Aurora squinted. "If you say so, then that is the way we will go. Are you ready, Gandr?"

The halfling blinked a few times before he snapped back from his thoughts. "Just a moment. I know what I will say." Clearing his throat, Gandr lifted the mirror. "I will see you soon, my mother. I cannot wait until missing you is just a distant memory." Lowering the glass, his eyes held a new determination. "Let's go!"

-----------------------

It took longer than anticipated to approach Dew Mountain. The wyverns seemed to find the unicorns to be a particularly delectable meal option, and so they had to make more than one hasty escape. Thankfully, all the creatures ended up with was a claw full of horse hair, but it was a close call.

In the end, they opted to backtrack and ride around the wyvern territory entirely, costing them an extra day of travel.

"What is the plan when we finally reach Dew Mountain?" Zan asked as the the tallest tip of the Mystic Spires peeked over the treeline.

"I will find where the waterfall hits the ground and collect the water as it is still falling. It's simple really." Aurora shrugged. The simplest plans had the least amount of things that could go wrong. She hoped to be in and out before some of the more dangerous beasts knew they were there.

Beside the Empress and Guardian, Gandr was clutching the magical mirror as he listened to his mother's most recent message. The two had been in constant communication since their first message exchange. It would be good when the two were finally united so the mirrors could get a rest.

"I never pictured you as a mother's boy," Zan teased as Gandr finished his most recent message.

Gandr crinkled his nose and squinted while barking a laugh. "You would be too if you had a mother like mine."

Zan sat up straight on his unicorn in indignation. "I will have you know I had a delightful mother. She did not like the idea of having an explorer for a son, but she always knit me a new scarf before sending me on my way."

Aurora could not not help but smile at the males' obvious affection for their mothers. Although she had no such relationship with her own mother, Aurora's heart ached to speak to her family. Fortunately, that time was getting closer each day. Hope was what she must cling to. Without it, all would be lost.

"Cling to hope," she reminded herself.

"Did you say something, Your Majesty?" Gandr asked.

"Incoming!" Zan pointed to the sky. They knew the drill by now. The three and their unicorns headed for the nearest depression in the earth and got as low to the ground as possible under the plants and trees.

This however, was not a wyvern. It was something much smarter and more dangerous. And in its front eagle's talons, it held fresh meat.